Vienna Christmas Markets 2026: Dates and Hours

When does the Vienna Christmas market season start? Vienna Christmas market dates for 2026: it starts on 6 November with Stephansplatz and Schönbrunn; Rathausplatz, Spittelberg, Karlsplatz, Am Hof, Schwarzenbergplatz, the University Campus and Türkenschanzpark open on 13 November, Freyung on 14 November, and Belvedere, Maria-Theresien-Platz and the Prater on 20 November.

Most markets end on 23 or 26 December. Belvedere stays open until 31 December, Schönbrunn and the Prater until 6 January 2027 (official info, October 2026).

Markets that are open on 24 December close early in the afternoon. "Public holidays" in the opening hours means Austria's official holidays: 8, 25 and 26 December. All 13 markets are free to enter. We walked Rathausplatz and Stephansplatz ourselves; the details for the other markets come from official sources.

Also worth knowing: the Christmas show at the Hirschstetten Flower Gardens in the 22nd district (Quadenstraße 15) has more than 50 stalls, 12 November to 20 December 2026, Thursday to Sunday 10:00-20:00, plus 7 and 8 December (official info, October 2026).

• To see the biggest one: Rathausplatz, with the ice rink and a Ferris wheel.
• If you only have one evening: Stephansplatz at dusk (it closes at 21:00), then walk to Rathausplatz (it closes at 22:00).
• For a calmer market with crafts: Spittelberg, Am Hof and Freyung.
• For a palace backdrop: Schönbrunn and Belvedere.
• After Christmas or in January: Schönbrunn and the Prater stay open until 6 January 2027, Belvedere until 31 December.
• On New Year's Eve: the Prater market is open until 02:00, and the old town has the Silvesterpfad.

Most markets are in the Innere Stadt (1st district): Rathausplatz, Stephansplatz, Am Hof, Freyung and Maria-Theresien-Platz are all within walking distance of each other. The centre fills up early at Christmas; on Saturday nights in December the number of hotels still available drops to about half of the same night in January.

Spittelberg is in Neubau (7th district), Belvedere in Landstraße (3rd) and the Prater market in Leopoldstadt (2nd). Our area by area picks, with a section on staying in Vienna at Christmas, are in our where to stay in Vienna guide .

Where we stayed: Watch in the video · 50:39  The hotels near the centre were full, so we spent one night at the Mercure Grand Hotel Biedermeier Wien in Landstraße. Watch in the video · 52:11  From the hotel we walked 5 minutes to the U4 Landstraße station and took the U-Bahn to the markets.

Closest to the markets: Innere Stadt is the most expensive area and the first to fill up, but you can walk back to the hotel late at night.

Near Spittelberg and the museums, a little cheaper: Neubau and Mariahilf; we stayed in this area on our first Vienna trip. Stephansplatz can be a 20-minute walk.

If the centre is full: Landstraße, a few U-Bahn stops away, with the Belvedere market. For New Year's Eve at the Prater: Leopoldstadt, with U1 and U2 from Praterstern.

1 day: Freyung and Am Hof in the afternoon, Stephansplatz at dusk, then Rathausplatz and the ice rink in the evening. All in the old town, on foot.

2 to 3 days: on day two, Schönbrunn Palace and its market, then Spittelberg in the evening; on day three, Belvedere, Karlsplatz and the Prater. With a week, add Prague or Budapest by train: their Christmas markets are open in the same weeks.

Our own Christmas trip was Prague, Dresden and Vienna. Hallstatt , the lakeside village, also works as a day trip from Vienna.

If you would rather see the markets with a guide, these are the Vienna Christmas market tours:

By plane: you arrive at Vienna International Airport (VIE). The main S-Bahn line from the airport to the centre is closed from 7 September 2026 to 31 October 2027; during the closure the City Airport Train (CAT) runs as a bus between Terminal 3 and Wien Mitte, €14.90 one way, and the fastest way in is the Railjet to Hauptbahnhof in about 15 minutes (official info, October 2026).

By train from Prague: Watch in the video · 0:40  Vienna was the third stop of our Christmas market trip. We took the train from Prague with a change in Břeclav; the trip took about 4 hours and we only waited a few minutes for the connection. The ticket with a change was cheaper than the direct train. From Budapest, the Railjet takes about 2 hours 40 minutes.

Getting around: Watch in the video · 1:44  Our hotel was a little outside the centre, so we bought a 24-hour public transport ticket and used the U-Bahn between the markets. The 48 and 72-hour tickets are no longer sold; the 24-hour ticket costs €9.70 in the app and €10.20 as a paper ticket from the machines (official info, October 2026).

24-hour public transport ticket (official sale) 

Arrival, airport transfers and how many days to spend in the city are in our Vienna travel guide .

The stall classics are roasted chestnuts, candied almonds, langos and sausages; for dessert, waffles, strudel and Kaiserschmarrn sell the most. For children there is alcohol-free Kinderpunsch. The typical Vienna market scene: a mug of hot punch in one hand and a snack in the other, wandering under the lights.

Hot drinks come in a Vienna Christmas market mug with a deposit; bring the mug back and you get the deposit back. The amount is posted at each stall.

Watch in the video · 12:27  Trdelník (chimney cake) is at almost every market. The one we bought at Rathausplatz was soft but still raw inside, not baked through; the one at our previous stop had been dry.

Watch in the video · 2:18  On our earlier Vienna trip we had left the Naschmarkt for last and never filmed it, so this time it was our first stop. Before the markets, during the day, we tried Watch in the video · 3:13  walnut Nusszelten and Watch in the video · 4:00  cheese filled sausage at the Naschmarkt.

The places where we sat down to eat in Vienna are in our what to eat in Vienna guide .

Silvesterpfad: the New Year's Eve trail through the old town runs on Thursday 31 December 2026 from 14:00 until 02:00; food stalls open at 11:00. The 2026 stage programme hasn't been announced yet. The Prater winter market also stays open until 02:00 that night, while the Rathausplatz ice rink is closed on 31 December (official info, October 2026).

New Year's Concert: the Vienna Philharmonic plays on Friday 1 January 2027 at 11:15 in the Great Hall of the Musikverein, conducted by Tugan Sokhiev. The same programme is also played as a preview on 30 December at 11:00 and as the New Year's Eve concert on 31 December at 19:30.

Tickets are allocated by lottery; registration for 2026/27 ran in February and is closed (official info, October 2026).

New Year's Concert tickets (official sale) 

Which day to go? We went to Rathausplatz on a Saturday evening and it was packed. For a calmer visit go on a weekday afternoon, and arrive just before dark to see the lights come on; in December it gets dark around 16:00.

Crowds and pickpockets: Rathausplatz and Stephansplatz are very busy in the evenings. Keep your phone and wallet in a front pocket and leave the big backpack at the hotel.

Public holidays: 8, 25 and 26 December are public holidays in Austria. Most markets are open, with different hours, but shops and some museums close.

Do I need a visa for Vienna? Austria is in the Schengen Area, and whether you need a visa depends on your passport; see our Austria visa guide . Prague, Bratislava and Budapest are in the same area, but carry your passport on trains, as ID checks can happen.